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The 24-year-old was in inspired form at the Mukuni World Stadium and finished the tournament six points clear of Fiji's Ana Maria Naimasi in the DHL Performance Tracker to continue Russia's dominance of this award, having won it herself in Dubai before team-mate Baizat Khamidova did so in Sydney.

Russia's captain was at the heart of everything her side did, showing her potency in attack by finishing the tournament as the top try-scorer with 11, including a record-equalling five in the fifth place semi-final victory over England, and determination in defence.

Mikhaltsova topped the charts for most carries (26, along with Spain's Patricia Garcia) and line breaks (14, double the next highest), which when combined with 14 tackles and six offloads gave her a total of 60 points for the Japanese round of the series.

France's Camille Grassineau was the top tackler with 27, while Cheta Emba, Rusila Nagasau and Chiharu Nakamura made the most offloads with seven.

Mikhaltsova has now opened up a 25-point lead over Nakamura in the Performance Tracker for the 2018 series, with New Zealand's Michaela Blyde and Khamidova within six points of the Japan captain in the race to catch the Russian captain.

The next round of the series takes place in Langford, Canada, on 12-13 May.